Friendly Reunions
by memories.of.rain
Summary: Ichigo had been trying for months to get a ticket, but now he can see one of Chad's matches in person.


**This is a prompt sent to me by lieutenantroux on tumblr: okay okay i AM happy abt chad being a heavyweight champ like im PUMPED so idk? maybe ichigo going to one of his matches and them hanging out and being bros? old bros have to stick together**

 **I LOVE CHAD AND ICHIGO BEING BROS, SO SIGN ME UP!**

* * *

It was more than a little surprising that Chad had become a heavyweight champion. Ichigo had always thought his friend would go into music or something with animals, but his job also strangely fit. His large hands, while still used for protection for the most part, had been used for combat during the war with Aizen and Yhwach. Chad knew that he needed to keep up his skill in hand-to-hand combat and as much as Ichigo would offer to spar with him as often as he could, Chad seemed to enjoy it.

Ichigo was the first to realize how happy Chad was when he'd come out victorious in a match. The way his friend's eyes would light up with pride and the slight quirk of his lips as he accepted his belts. The way he'd help his opponent up from their prone position and tell them everything they'd done correctly and how they could improve. His opponents were always thrown by that, but Ichigo knew it was just Chad being Chad.

Finally though, after months of trying to find someone who'd cover for him at his little clinic (because he couldn't just leave it to anybody) he'd bought a ticket to see one of Chad's matches in person. Chad had always been very appreciative of the gangs' support as they watched the match on the television, but Ichigo had been wanting to see one of Chad's matches since he got into heavyweight boxing. Besides, he'd get to hang out with Chad after his match most likely and that would be perfect. It'd been far too long since he'd gotten the chance to just hang with Chad and talk just the two of them.

So he sat in the crowd amongst the cheering fans, their shouts deafening and ready for the match to begin. If he was being honest, Ichigo was as well. When the announcer came out and introduced Chad, Ichigo couldn't hold back his exuberant shout. Seeing Chad in the ring, so sure of himself and still the same person that Ichigo had known all these years, made Ichigo feel proud.

He booed jovially at Chad's opponent and snorted to himself as the opponent was giving Chad a cocky look. But good ol' Chad just nodded his head respectfully and waited for the match to begin. When the bell tolled, Chad didn't hold back. With a quick sweep of his arm he'd landed a heavy blow to the other guy's ribs. Had Chad always been that fast?

Chad's opponent (Maru? Mackerel?) stepped away from Chad and started hopping from one foot to the next. Ichigo thought he looked ridiculous, especially in comparison to Chad who hadn't moved from his original spot. When the other guy tried to deliver a blow, Chad would quickly deflect it and deliver his counterattack. It was sorta like watching one of Chad's battles all those years ago. He was patient and he'd learned not to hold back his strength when he needed to use it.

Within the hour, all twelve rounds had been completed. You wouldn't be able to tell if they'd just shown Chad, the sweat pouring off his body and the slight redness along his right side was the only indication that anything had happened. His opponent though was laid out on the floor of the ring and Ichigo was sure that the man had at least a cracked rib or two. The room was engulfed in roaring cheers and he watched as Chad looked around the room before he paused and looked shocked. Ichigo knew he'd been spotted at that point and gave his friend a bright smile and two thumbs up. The "cool guy" pose that Chad gave him in return made him laugh.

He couldn't wait to catch up with Chad.

~.~.~.~.~.~

"That was awesome, Chad," Ichigo said, slinging an arm around Chad. "Seriously, that was way better than seeing one of your matches on TV."

Chad gave him a soft smile. "It was a nice surprise to see you in the crowd," Chad said, picking up his glass of water and taking a sip.

"Thought you might like the surprise. So what've you been up to besides boxing?"

Chad shrugged. "Some music, fighting some hollows."

Ichigo gave Chad a knowing look. "Still go to that pet store to look at the baby animals." Ichigo caught the faint tint of red coloring Chad's cheeks and snickered into his drink. "What sort of music?"

"A little punk, a little rock, sometimes just jamming."

Ichigo nodded. "Sounds fun." The two sat in companionable silence before Ichigo decided to break it. "You ever think you'll settle down? Start a family?"

Chad was silent for a moment before nodding his head slowly. "It'll probably be more like what my abuelo did for me."

Ichigo sent his friend a reassuring smile. "That sounds nice." He'd been thinking about the future a lot more lately, about family. He hadn't really thought about relationships. He liked the idea of them, but relationships usually turned physical which didn't appeal to him at all. He knew there were people who had a crush on him, or had one in the past, but he didn't think he'd be able to give them what they wanted. "I was thinking that too." Seeing Chad's confused look, Ichigo continued. "Adopting a kid, helping him grow up and everything."

Chad stared at him pointedly. "No marriage?"

Ichigo wrinkled his nose a little at the idea. "I don't really want to be in a relationship, I think? I mean- well that usually leads to- and I don't think I want that?" Wow, he was not explaining this correctly. "Like, hugs and kisses are fine, but like none of the other physical stuff? Like, you know?"

"No sex."

Bless Chad. "Yeah, none of that."

Chad nodded his head. "Yeah, I knew that. The way you still get creeped out by breasts and the idea of seeing someone naked."

"I was traumatized, not my fault," Ichigo interjected.

"But that's okay. Nothing wrong with that."

Ichigo gave his friend a gracious smile. "Thanks, Chad." He knew his friend would understand. The two sat in companionable silence, drinking their water and enjoying the quietness of the room. "So, do we adopt a kid together?"

Chad chuckled softly. "Maybe we should ask Inoue if she wants to adopt as well. We could just adopt the same kid or two of us could and the third be an honorary parent?"

Ichigo nodded his head thoughtfully. That'd be interesting, and probably their best bet. Imagine a kid raised by the three of them; that would certainly be a sight to see. The kid would be something else, that's for sure. "We'll have to bring it up to her soon, I know the process is pretty extensive."

"We'll get through it."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Of course we will, but she hasn't even agreed to it yet."

Chad shrugged. "It's Inoue, she'll probably be excited." That's true, Ichigo could practically see her jumping around excitedly at the suggestion. "For now though, let's just talk about now."

Ichigo grinned and started talking about how the clinic was going and the patient he'd gotten last week. And Chad listened attentively, slipping in a comment or question in every once in a while. It was good to be able to hang out with Chad again.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this and please leave a comment if you have time :)**


End file.
